Saturday, January 10, 2009

Ditch The Hesitation and Hire A Housekeeper

Have you ever thought about hiring a housekeeper but decided against it because you felt like you should be able to keep up with household chores yourself? Or maybe you determined it was a bad way to spend your money? Maybe you have kids who are old enough to help out and you want to teach them the value of taking care of a home. Whatever your reasons for thinking about hiring a housekeeper, and then not doing so, I'm here to persuade you of the reasons to hire one after all.

I cannot tell you how many times I have been called on (reluctantly) to (possibly) clean a house by someone who cannot believe they have resorted to calling me in the first place! The guilt of not being able to keep up is unbearable, and worsened by the fact that they are going to spend money from the family budget to hire me. But nonetheless, they call me "just to see about it." So after arriving at their houses and listening to the guilt trips they inflict on themselves, I've come up with a few little anecdotal thoughts. One of the things I love about my job is that I get to meet all sorts of wonderful and interesting people. I meet people on a regular basis who are talented, creative, innovative, and just plain important because of what they do and contribute to society. I am happy to serve people that fit this description, and I hope that what I do allows them to be even better at what they do. Why spend valuable time doing mundane chores when your time is better spent fulfilling your purpose for this time and place? And why spend time cleaning when you might need to rest from being so awesome at your purpose in life?

Let's talk about value. The actual price tag of hiring a housekeeper. Even if I can get you to agree that you have better things to do other than clean, you may still feel guilty about spending the money. When you pay someone to clean - you don't just get a clean house! You get a stronger immune system because your stress level is down a couple notches. A stronger immune system can save you money because you will not have to spend as much on cold medication or doctor visits (or other means of reducing stress, wink). You may even save money on food. You know how it is. If you have to spend the day cleaning, the last thing you want to do is make dinner! So you go out to eat, or you order pizza, which is OK if that's the plan, but in many cases, it isn't. When you come home to a nicely cleaned kitchen, it is more likely that you will feel energized to go ahead and cook a meal at home! Also, a clutter free, clean and organized atmosphere is energizing! It frees your mind to happily think of "what's next!" Rather than think, "oh no, what's next?" What price tag would you put on energy? On clarity of mind?

I once had t-shirts made for my business that said, "Skip the therapist and hire a housekeeper."

Funny, huh? Well I'm only half joking! I wonder how many marriages my service has saved? Ha ha.

What will it take for you to be more you-ey and less swept away? Maybe you don't need my services, maybe you need a gardener or lawn service, or maybe you need a regular babysitter or day care provider, or a financial planner. The possibility exists that you don't hate housework you just need to invest in a nice vacuum cleaner or upgrade your washer and dryer. We don't always realize the full value that may come from investing in these things and areas of our lives, but we need to. Life is short and it would be a shame to let it pass us by. This is true: as a housekeeper, I really care about the homes I care for and the people that live in them. Yes I care about paying my bills and having money left over for fun stuff, but I truly care about the people I serve and look forward to the opportunity to prove it by providing personable and thoughtful service. It gives me purpose and fulfilment as a house cleaner when I know that I'm helping others be valuable in this world.

Hopefully I have made you laugh and think and smile, and hopefully you will be you and our community will be better for it.